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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — There's been a disaster in southeastern Nigeria, where a gas tanker truck explosion has killed more than 100 people. The victims had been lined up for hours to refill their cooking gas cylinders in time for Christmas. The fire burned for hours and an Associated Press reporter counted more than 100 charred remains.
ASHLAND, Miss. (AP) — Experts say the unseasonably warm temperatures contributed to conditions that generated the deadly weather in the South now blamed for at least 14 deaths, all but one of them in Mississippi and Tennessee. An emergency official in northern Mississippi says dozens more in his state were injured, some seriously. Search teams are checking wrecked homes just in case.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Shoppers looking for last-minute items at a North Carolina shopping center have gotten more than they bargained for -- gunfire. Police in Charlotte say shots were fired at Northlake Mall because of a feud among a group of people who knew each other. An official says an off-duty officer fatally shot an armed man who pointed the weapon in his direction.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has used his Christmas Eve message to say societies have become intoxicated with consumerism, pleasure, abundance and wealth. Noting the simplicity of the birth of Jesus, Francis said excesses have led to a "culture of indifference, which not infrequently turns ruthless."
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — The lights and music were festive, but some visitors to the Holy Land say there is tension in Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Christians from around the world were present on Christmas Eve. This year's season follows months of deadly attacks and clashes that have killed 20 Israelis and 124 Palestinians.
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